On doing your research and buying proper equipment.

[wayfarer]

I came across this article this morning on FB, posted on the Ireland Way page. Worth a read IMO especially if you are in the planning stages of your Camino.

How I nearly lost my toes hiking El Camino

I tried hiking El Camino de Santiago in Spain and ended up in a hospital in France.

hihostels.ca

 

[henrythedog]

Dave Bugg may sometimes give very long replies to questions about equipment - but they are comprehensive and some basic research would help avoid serious incidents like this.

 

[wayfarer]

Most of my hikes prior to the Camino were also day hikes or weekend hikes but when I was buying new boots for the Camino I was lucky enough to meet a very knowledgeable lady in the local outdoor shop who fitted me out with slightly larger and wider boots than I would have chosen, she also advised me to double sock to prevent blisters, and it worked, not a single one for the entire way. BTW my feet were at least a half to one size bigger when I returned and my regular shoes didn't fit properly for nearly two years after I finished the Camino.

 

[henrythedog]

Most of us have one foot slightly larger than the other. (The same number, coincidentally, have one foot smaller than the other.)

After years of experimentation I wear a fractionally thicker liner sock on my left foot.

Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than first thing in the morning. You’ve had your weight on them all day ...

I can't recall Dave’s comprehensive treatment of the subject (probably because after 50 years serious hill walking and a spell as an army officer, I think I know enough about it). In reality, you’re never too old to learn.

 

[Bradypus]

I still find it surprising that so many people choose to set off on a long Camino as their first experience of a multi-day walk. No "test drives" at home to identify potential problems and resolve them? The other thing which strikes me from the article is how long the writer chose to endure and indeed exacerbate the results of a poor decision regarding her footwear rather than remedy the situation. That may simply be a result of inexperience or perhaps there is an element of pride involved - not wishing to acknowledge an error of judgment? Whatever the reason the story shows that it is a very costly way to learn a lesson.

 

[RRat]

I came across this article this morning on FB, posted on the Ireland Way page. Worth a read IMO especially if you are in the planning stages of your Camino.

How I nearly lost my toes hiking El Camino

I tried hiking El Camino de Santiago in Spain and ended up in a hospital in France.

hihostels.ca

Try this: Go to a local budget shoe store and purchase the cheapest outdoor shoe only one size bigger than normal. Wear them for a week. For some reason we tend to wear shoes that are a bit too snug. I think we dont want to admit we have big feet. In my case I thought I was a 9 but I'm really a 10. Your feet are better indicators of size than any size tool or expert.

 

[wayfarer]

As I take a 12 or 13 depending on the manufacturer not admitting I have big feet would be a bit of a stretch. . I agree with Bradypus, I think inexperience is a big factor, in 2012 I gave away nearly all of my first aid kit both plasters and dehydration salts, to people who had only bought their entire kit the week before they departed, and in several cases this was after they had watched The Way and decided on the spur of the moment to just do it. A bit of planning, training and test driving is a must IMO.

 

[lt56ny]

Try this: Go to a local budget shoe store and purchase the cheapest outdoor shoe only one size bigger than normal. Wear them for a week. For some reason we tend to wear shoes that are a bit too snug. I think we dont want to admit we have big feet. In my case I thought I was a 9 but I'm really a 10. Your feet are better indicators of size than any size tool or expert.

FYI there are lots of people like me that buy everything a little to a lot too big as we hate anything tight on our bodies, especially our feet. I buy a size bigger for my caminos and have had 5 blisters in 4,300K. I attribute this to two things, bigger shoes and blind luck.